Celluloid substitute and process of making the same.



To all whom it may concern:

enna xueusrn LE'oPoLnE ROUXEV'ILLE, OF PARIS, FRANCE,

. errors,

UEIJLULOID SUBSTITUTE AND PROCESS MAKING THE SAME.

Spe'cification'of Letters Patent. j Patented March 10, mos.

Application filed June 3, 1907. Serial no; 376,972.

Be it known that I, EMILEAcGUs'rE Lao- POLDE ROUXEVILLE, a citizenrof the Republicof France, residing at 41 Rue defParadis, -Franc'e, have invented new and useful Improvements in Celluloid: Substitutes and.

Processes of Making the Same,-of which the following is a specification.

This inventon relates in-particular to the manufactureof a kindzof celluloid in which undergo polymerization and" a' complex vis-' cid roduct is obtained which contains a num )er of well defined bodies such'as cymen, terebene, diterebene, colophene, camphene and terpilene in addition to other products of p01 erization and oxidationthat are less- *we defined. All these bodiesand products taken individually have the same pro erties well as the'constituentsofrthisproduct. It

as the complex product; They can t us be; used individually or 'mixed together, but as the manufacture of the individual bodies is comparatively costly, it more economical to use the complex product-itself instead of its constituents.

the term T complex product will be used to designate the: product of-1 po1ymerization as snay-be' observed firstof all that, compared with the properties ofcellulose and its derivatives the complex roduct hasthefollowingprperties. 1. It ascertainsolvents in common-with cell-uloseand-itsderivatives- (ketones alcohol, acetic acid, etherh 2. It can dissolve under certain 1 conditions ,cellulose'and its'der ivatives. The above properties are increased when the complex roduct hasdbeen-nitratedt. e. treated/wit nitric acl In order to mix the com lex product with celluloseror its derivatives orthel urpose of obtaining thenew articleef-manu acture the following two methods may beadopted.

A. As certain derivatives of cellulose have solventsincommonwiththecomplexproduct,

the cellulosederivative and the complex product need merely be dissolved in the same solvent, whereupon 'thei-tw'o' solutions are plex product is prepared as follows:

In the explanations to be given hereafter for cellulose or for other purposes. =artic1e thus obtained is much more stable than ordinary celluloid owing'to the presence of the complex derivatives.

mixed. 'In this case nitro cellulose-is used with preference and acetone as a solvent. Instead of-using the complex product directly it is found'to' be preferable to nitrate the same with'nitric acid. This nitrated comof. oi of turpentine, either pure or with an addition of resin, are treated at low temperature with 80 to 100gr. of strong sulfuric acid.

The mixture is allowed to stand andablack viscid' substance Willbe found to be formed which is afterwards separated from the remaining acid liquid This viscid body is then'treated with nitric'acid, either with concentrated nitric acid at low temperature or with nitric acid mixed with 50 per cent of 'Water.at a raised temperature. After cooling the acidsare'removed either by washing repeatedly with-water or by neutralization wlthan alkali. If necessary the nitrated com lex product thus obtained'is purified by issolving the same inacetone or by Way of distillation. A solution of this nitrated complex product in acetone is mixed with a solution of nitrocellulose or some other cellulose derivative in the same solvent, whereupon the acetone is evaporated. The acetone may be recovered. A homogeneous mass will thus be obtained which is heated for one hour at a temperature of l00'140 C. either in a digester or in a compressori Fin'ally a homogeneous transparent plate is obtained which may'be'used as a substitute predict or its components or T ear tlcle thus obtained may be considered to constitute a solution of nitro cellulose in the complex product. The roportions of the two bodies, complex pro uct and nitrocellulose, will vary according to the object aimed at. The reater the proportion of nitrocellulose the arder and the more rigid the article obtained willbe. The rigidity and hardness of the article can be increased further by addin resin or gum to the oil of turpentine. On t 1e other hand, the

plastic ualities of the new article may be increase by incorporating an oil in the mixture such as linseed oil or castor oil either before or after the treatment with acids.

B. As the complex product dissolves cellulose and its derivatives, the new article in %uestion may also be obtainedlas follows. heseomplex product nrtrated one at is mixed The new l ton).

in proportions depending on the object aimed at with ordinary cellulose or nitrocellulose (i. e. with cotton, celluloid paste or gun cot- Thereu on the mixture is heated between 100 an 140 C. in a digester-or in a compressor for about one hour. homogeneous mass is thus obtained which'may be considered a solution of the cellulose or cellulose derivative in the complex product. This second process may be varied by mixin the cellulose with the complex product an treating the mixture with nitric acid. In this case it is found advisable to proceed as follows: Ordinary cotton is added to the black viscid product obtained by treating oil of turpentine with sulfuric acid and the two products are then mixed on the water-bath. The mixture is then treated with nitric acid as described above and the acids are afterwards removed by decantation, by washing with water for by neutralization. Finally the mixture is heated as indicated above.

It will be observed that, as has been stated in the applications referred to above, the

complex product has the property of dis solving w en heated vulcanized or ordinary india rubber as well asgutta percha. Consequently as the complex product is also able to dissolve cellulose and its derivatives, it is easy to obtain avery varied series of mixtures of cellulose or its derivatives, gutta percha, 'india rubber, artificial substitutes of india rubber and Each of these mixtures will have particular properties and particular applications according to the preponderant proportionof one of these five classes of bodies. It will also be readily understood as has been stated in the above mentioned applications that the complex product has a great affinity for sulfur. Consequently all the mixtures referred to above can be vulcanized, if necessary, thus causing them to attain greater stabilityand rigidity. Finally, to having cellulose as their main constituent, can be decolorized or bleachpd by using suitable chemicals slich as chlorin or compounds of chlorin, etc. that are usuallg used in chem: ical industriesparticularlyin t e manufacture of celluloid.

I claim:

1. The process of making a celluloid substitute, which consists of polymerizing oil of the complex productf all the mixtures referred.

stantially as described.

turpentine or its equivalent and mixing the product with nitro cellulose dissolved in acetone, substantially as described.

2. The process of manufacturing a celluloid substitute, which consist in polymerizing oil of tur entine or its equivalent with sulfuric acid mixing the product with nitro cellulose dissolved in acetone, and evaporating off the acetone.

- 3. The process of manufacturing a celluloid substitute, which consists in polymerizing oil of turpentine or its equivalent by means of sulfuric acid, removing the excess of acid, treating the product with nitric'acid, removing the excess of said nitric acid, mixing the product with nitro cellulose dissolved in acetone, and evaporating, off the acetone,-

substantially as described.

4. The process of manufaeturin a celluloid substitute, which consists in issolving celluloid, or its equivalents, in acetone or its equivalents, and mixing with said acetone solution a complex product obtained by olymerizing oil of tu entine or its equivallen'ts, substantially as escribed.

5. A celluloid substitute composed of a solution of nitro cellulose mixed with a polymerized product of the oil of turpentine or its equivalents, substantially as described.

6. A' new article of manufacture, a celluloid substitute composed of an acetone solution, mixed with a complex roduct obtained by the polymerization of oil of turpentine or its equlvalents and treated with nitric acid, the whole being described.

7. 'As a new article of manufacture, a celluloid substitute, consisting of cellulose or its equivalents mixed with a complex prod-' not obtained by the polymerization of oil of turpentine or its equivalent, substantially as described;

8. As a new article of manufacture, a celluloid substitute, composed of nitro cellulose or its equivalents mixed with the complex product obtained by the polymerization of oil of t entine or its equivalents and sulfur, the i v hole being hardened, sub- EMILE AUGUSTE LEOPOLDE ROUXEVILLE. Witnesses:

FRANK WILLIAM HAY,

H. C. Coxn.

hardened, substantially as 

